British wildcard Arthur Fery invited Prince George and Princess Charlotte to play tennis with him as he spoke to the royals during their attendance at Wimbledon for the men's singles final. The Prince and Princess of Wales congratulated the tennis player, who turns 24 today, on his run to the semi-finals and wished him a happy birthday.
Royals Arrive at All England Club
William, Kate, George, and Charlotte arrived at the All England Club shortly after 3pm on Sunday and greeted a line-up of guests. Kate, who wore an olive green midi-dress, handed Fery a birthday card as she said hello to him. In their conversation, Fery told the princess that he had not played on Centre Court before the tournament, describing the experience as "really special." He could be overheard telling Kate: "I hear your children play tennis."
Fery's Invitation and Reaction
Speaking after the interaction, Fery said: "I mean the princess came to my match in the second round, it was great to have her there and we spoke a little about that. It was good to see her here and good to meet her finally. She wished me good luck for the rest of the year and congratulated me for these two weeks." He added: "I know the whole family are all tennis fans, so I told her if her kids ever wanted to hit, I'm free. It would be good to see them again." Asked whether he thinks she will take him up on the offer, Fery said: "Let's see, I don't know. Let's see if I get the call up."
Fery's Plans After Tournament
During their conversation, Fery told Kate that he is "ready to relax" for a bit. "Next week's going to be nice, I'm going on holiday, I'll be able to relax a little bit and process everything," he told her. William congratulated Fery as he greeted him and wished him a happy birthday, then said: "What a tournament."
Royals to Watch Final
The royals took a seat on Centre Court to watch reigning champion Jannik Sinner take on number two seed Alexander Zverev. Kate, who is patron of the All England Club, will present the trophy to the winner at the end of the match. Other members of the royal family in attendance included Lord Frederick Windsor, his wife Sophie Winkleman, and Lady Gabriella Kingston. They joined Australian actress Nicole Kidman, American actor Rami Malek, British singer Raye, and former world number one Stan Smith. Last year, Kate presented the trophy to Sinner, who became the first Italian to win a Wimbledon singles title, after giving the runner-up prize to Carlos Alcaraz. The royals received a standing ovation as they entered the Royal Box on Sunday; Kate waved to the crowd before taking her seat on the front row.
